They interviewed a guy that develops the songza app, and he said it something that I think is the reason this dongle is amazing. He said Google just gave app developers access to the consumers living room.

Developers don't have to waste time developing for Roku or Google TV or Apple TV. They can just add lines of code to their app, and the app instantly has access to the TV.

I'm sure in the near future, most music apps will add Chromecast support, most video apps. I won't be surprised if Dropbox, Google Drive, and maybe Skydive start implementing Google Cast support.

So to everyone saying "just get A Roku". Right now Roku has more apps, but it won't in a year.

Personally, I wouldn't have an Google/Android anything, MS/Windows product anywhere in my home, car, office, or pocket. They are just sub-par copies with a few "fartsy" differences. And, overall, the build quality of the HW and SW sucks.

P.S. I also don't have any Samsung products in my home, either. Just as a matter of principle.

They interviewed a guy that develops the songza app, and he said it something that I think is the reason this dongle is amazing. He said Google just gave app developers access to the consumers living room.

Developers don't have to waste time developing for Roku or Google TV or Apple TV. They can just add lines of code to their app, and the app instantly has access to the TV.

I'm sure in the near future, most music apps will add Chromecast support, most video apps. I won't be surprised if Dropbox, Google Drive, and maybe Skydive start implementing Google Cast support.

So to everyone saying "just get A Roku". Right now Roku has more apps, but it won't in a year.

Isn't appleTV also going to get the App Store at some point soon? I think S. Jobs said as much. Also, I play my iOS games from iPad or iPhone on my projector screen through AirPlay mirroring.

Why waste $35 on the Chromecast when you can get the Roku LT for only $15 more?

The Roku LT does much much more than Chromecast.

You don't need additional hardware to use the Roku. You don't need to have a smartphone to use the Roku. You don't need to whip out your smartphone every time you want to watch TV on the Roku.

After a while, having to find and whip out your smart phone just to watch TV will become a pain on Chromecast.

Because it's $15 more. For the price of two Roku LT or one Apple TV, somebody could buy 3 Chromecasts for every TV in the house. If all they do is watch Youtube and Netflix, that's a very economical solution.

I remember a time when Apple fans used to argue that leaving out some functionality to make a device simple and easy to use was a virtue. This is exactly like that. There's been lots of different devices that do what this does. None have been as cheap or as easy to setup and use and as compatible with all your different devices. That's the point.

People are overthinking this. It's not going to replace TV yet. It's not even really competing with Apple TV (where the topline sales feature is Airplay). But it might do damage to the likes of Roku, where I suspect there's lots of people who pick them up just to watch Netflix, Youtube, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatchyThePirate

This is just as ridiculous as the nexus q! ..only masked by the cheap price (relative to the q, that is). But it's ok, it doesn't mean that google makes crappy products; they're "experimenters," which means they can put out poorly thought out and poorly implemented products, one after another, because they are 'learning experiences.' But after so many failed experiments, it appears that googlers are pretty slow learners.

What some consider a vice, others consider a virtue. A great thing about Google is that they experiment and they aren't afraid to kill experiments that fail. Better than being some staid corporation (say like MS) that's afraid to take any risks. As for whether this will succeed? At this price point, I really can't see it failing....

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrrodriguez

They interviewed a guy that develops the songza app, and he said it something that I think is the reason this dongle is amazing. He said Google just gave app developers access to the consumers living room.

Developers don't have to waste time developing for Roku or Google TV or Apple TV. They can just add lines of code to their app, and the app instantly has access to the TV.

I'm sure in the near future, most music apps will add Chromecast support, most video apps. I won't be surprised if Dropbox, Google Drive, and maybe Skydive start implementing Google Cast support.

So to everyone saying "just get A Roku". Right now Roku has more apps, but it won't in a year.

Exactly. That SDK is huge. Basically, in due course virtually every major media app on Android and iOS will support Chromecast. And at this price point, I could see this thing becoming quite popular.

This would certainly be an easy to way watch Hulu content on your TV without paying the monthly fee. Also the network sites like ABC, NBC, etc..that stream full episodes. I use a PS3 for Netflix and also Plex to stream content from my Mac but for streaming website content directly I simply connected my Mac directly to my TV with an HDMI cable. So for me at least this seems like a very cheap and easy way to remove a little cable clutter and not need to have my Mac running if I want to watch online content. I can see it appealing to a lot of other console owner who want that final missing piece of direct web content for just $35. With a PS3 I really don't need an Apple TV since it duplicates the functionality and I wouldn't use Airplay. I can see this selling very well but acknowledge it is a far inferior product to the Apple TV but I think it does fill an important niche for web content and I can even see people with an Apple TV also buying this to use along with the ATV.

Hold on. You can't mirror the content you talk about above to AppleTV via AirPlay?

"Building for the future?! They should be running around reacting to the present!" -John Moltz

To their credit -- Chromestick would be pretty neat and advanced if you are stuck with Windows (by choice or not) as nothing like AirPlay exists for Windows / 'droid.

Then again, these are likely the same people that have dismissed the tech when it was first introduced. (likely dismiss Apple out of hand / dismissed iPod / iPhone / iPad, etc..) And now they want us to give Google an "atta boy" ? To admit someone has out done Apple?

You can buy apps for Windows and Android which enable AirPlay.

"Building for the future?! They should be running around reacting to the present!" -John Moltz

I find articles such as this to be very amusing. The article was written with a significant slant without hands on experience. It provides pundents with ammunition without first hand trials and comparisons.

Not that it takes hands on experience for Windows or 'droid pundits to dismiss anything Apple makes. I mean, reviews of the iPhone and iPad weren't written with "significant slant" ?

Oh, but we should celebrate Windows RT and not call it the turd that it is.

You made some pretty big assumptions that just because people don't like a product it's because they are unhappy with a different brand. That's not true, but I digress.

I do wish Apple TV would work with other devices. That's a big reason I won't get one. I've been in the Apple ecosystem. I bought a Macbook Pro, used it for three months then gave it away. I do enjoy my iPod, though. I'm not brand loyal. I choose the best product regardless of brand.

That being said, Apple TV does have my attention and it's a serious product. But iPhones and iPads aren't the best in my opinion so I can't get an Apple TV. Which is unfortunate because I was actually excited about that device.

You should really wait until you have at least 10 posts under your belt before Trolling. You have no sense of couth.

When I looked up "Ninjas" in Thesaurus.com, it said "Ninja's can't be found" Well played Ninjas, well played.

I just don't get what motivates people to get so laser focused on saving money on the small stuff. It's entertaining to see so many willing to trip over dollars, trying to pick up pennies. To invest so much money on setup and services only to go cheap on the part that actually drives the viewing experience. Its like buying a Ferrari and then driving around for hours looking for the cheapest no-brand minimal grade fuel you can find.

"Building for the future?! They should be running around reacting to the present!" -John Moltz

Word to Daniel Eran Dilger, Chromecast would be well-served to be compared to Roku. For this one simple reason:

Roku's sales numbers are more or less US only while Apple's numbers are global. This is because Roku can only sell to geographies where their content deals apply. In other words, they're neck and neck in the US and some commentators actually suggest Roku outsells Apple here.

That's besides the fact that Roku offers a lot more content than Apple (and a heck of a lot more content than Chroemcast).

I just don't get what motivates people to get so laser focused on saving money on the small stuff. It's entertaining to see so many willing to trip over dollars, trying to pick up pennies. To invest so much money on setup and services only to go cheap on the part that actually drives the viewing experience. Its like buying a Ferrari and then driving around for hours looking for the cheapest no-brand minimal grade fuel you can find.

I totally agree, I use a Mac Mini as my TV hub.

When I looked up "Ninjas" in Thesaurus.com, it said "Ninja's can't be found" Well played Ninjas, well played.

So why doesn't Chromestick use it then? Or DLNA or WiDi or Miracast or anything else. Why not at least pull a Samsung and just clone it. Why hasn't Samesung done this already? Chromestick should be AirPlay (or ChomePlay or whatever) on a $35 stick with improvements because Google just makes everything better. What's with the convoluted method that Chromestick uses?

Moreover, since you can just "buy" AirPlay for Windows / droid why even buy a Chromestick in the first place. AirPlay is way better then Chromestick.

Oh, right. You'd need an Apple TV. I can see your problem. You wouldn't want to support Apple. Let alone suffer the mockery from your friends. Well, hopefully you can r00t the Chromestick and "buy" an app for it just like you can "buy" AirPlay for Windows and droid.

I enjoy the Apple producsts I have for different reasons (build quality, ease of use, support, etc.). But I find it utterly absurd to harbour such disdain for Google, simply because they employ a different business model that actually enables mass market adoption of technologies. If the mass market used the Apple model, it's likely that the number of people that use computers and smartphones would be half (or less) of what it is today. At the end of the day, companies like Microsoft (during the PC wars) and Google today have done the masses a service by lowering the barriers to entry into the personal tech game.

Lots of people here will laugh about $100 Androids. If I was poor and lived in a developing country, I wouldn't be laughing much. I'd be far more grateful for Google making that $100 Android phone possible than some $600 iPhone that I may never be able to afford in my lifetime. The more I read tech forums, the more I realize, how much most of the complaints are simply first-world problems. And now that there's a billion smartphones out there, it gets interesting, because the growth market isn't the first world any more....

How about Microsoft sells you products while Google sells you to advertisers (the same point I was making on my previous post). I hope that makes my point clearer.

If you are ok with you being used by Google and trading your personal information for free services then fine but a lot of people doesn't know about this and some might not like it too.

I don't live in any first world country, and I am not blessed with a lot of resources either. I know what Android did to the market and I believe in competition. My Girlfriend had an Android,I had no problem with that as long as she refrain using Google services as much as possible. it's Google's business model that disturbs me.

So why doesn't Chromestick use it then? Or DLNA or WiDi or Miracast or anything else. Why not at least pull a Samsung and just clone it. Why hasn't Samesung done this already? Chromestick should be AirPlay (or ChomePlay or whatever) on a $35 stick with improvements because Google just makes everything better. What's with the convoluted method that Chromestick uses?

Moreover, since you can just "buy" AirPlay for Windows / droid why even buy a Chromestick in the first place. AirPlay is way better then Chromestick.

Oh, right. You'd need an Apple TV. I can see your problem. You wouldn't want to support Apple. Let alone suffer the mockery from your friends. Well, hopefully you can r00t the Chromestick and "buy" an app for it just like you can "buy" AirPlay for Windows and droid.

<s>Google would not do that.. they are "open" and they do not do evil. They simply "care" about every one and think that it is an injustice to have to pay the absurdly high $100 cost of entry into TV streaming market that some of their money greedy product focused competitors are demanding out of poor consumers. As a result, they are using their humanitarian budget to deliver to you a high end device for a more reasonable and affordable price of $35 (including shipping and handling). Act now and they were even throw in 3 free months of Netflix (while supplies last) and a copy of their "do no evil" Chrome browser for free. Call now! </s>

"Building for the future?! They should be running around reacting to the present!" -John Moltz

I just don't get what motivates people to get so laser focused on saving money on the small stuff. It's entertaining to see so many willing to trip over dollars, trying to pick up pennies. To invest so much money on setup and services only to go cheap on the part that actually drives the viewing experience. Its like buying a Ferrari and then driving around for hours looking for the cheapest no-brand minimal grade fuel you can find.

<s>Google would not do that.. they are "open" and they do not do evil. They simply "care" about every one and think that it is an injustice to have to pay the absurdly high $100 cost of entry into TV streaming market that some of their money greedy product focused competitors are demanding out of poor consumers. As a result, they are using their humanitarian budget to deliver to you a high end device for a more reasonable and affordable price of $35 (including shipping and handling). Act now and they were even throw in 3 free months of Netflix (while supplies last) and a copy of their "do no evil" Chrome browser for free. Call now! </s>

Google would not do that.. they are "open" and they do not do evil. They simply "care" about every one and think that it is an injustice to have to pay the absurdly high $100 cost of entry into TV streaming market that some of their money greedy product focused competitors are demanding out of poor consumers. As a result, they are using their humanitarian budget to deliver to you a high end device for a more reasonable and affordable price of $35 (including shipping and handling). Act now and they were even throw in 3 free months of Netflix (while supplies last) and a copy of their "do no evil" Chrome browser for free. Call now!

Yeah and Apple sends people over to your house to watch over cats while your on holiday.

When I looked up "Ninjas" in Thesaurus.com, it said "Ninja's can't be found" Well played Ninjas, well played.

They interviewed a guy that develops the songza app, and he said it something that I think is the reason this dongle is amazing. He said Google just gave app developers access to the consumers living room.

Developers don't have to waste time developing for Roku or Google TV or Apple TV. They can just add lines of code to their app, and the app instantly has access to the TV.

I'm sure in the near future, most music apps will add Chromecast support, most video apps. I won't be surprised if Dropbox, Google Drive, and maybe Skydive start implementing Google Cast support.

So to everyone saying "just get A Roku". Right now Roku has more apps, but it won't in a year.

Now this would be interesting, If only someone would develop an App to stream files/movies from pc so that I won't have to use Chrome browser. I hate Apple TV for not being able to stream movie files, always have to convert them for iTunes.

Now this would be interesting, If only someone would develop an App to stream files/movies from pc so that I won't have to use Chrome browser. I hate Apple TV for not being able to stream movie files, always have to convert them for iTunes.

VLC.

When I looked up "Ninjas" in Thesaurus.com, it said "Ninja's can't be found" Well played Ninjas, well played.